Battleborn Free Trial Player FAQ

As you've undoubtedly heard, Battleborn now has a Free Trial available. We figure you might have a few questions about this, so we've put together an FAQ to answer these.

Read below for more info about this new program!

Battleborn has a Free Trial, what does that mean?

The Battleborn Free Trial is a whole new way to experience Battleborn without having to pay a dime. The Free Trial includes free access to Competitive Multiplayer play.

When is the Free Trial available?

Global: Xbox One, PS4, and Steam

The patch soft launched globally on June 5, 2017, with the official release of the Free Trial happening on June 6. The Free Trial is now available on PC, Xbox One, and on PS4 in the Americas.

Exception: Sony Europe and Sony Japan

The Free Trial will be available for PlayStation 4 players in Europe and Japan starting June 13, 2017. In the meantime, all current Battleborn players in Europe and Japan will have access to the latest patch content upon downloading the update.

How can I access the Free Trial?

The Battleborn Free Trial is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam. Search for Battleborn in the PlayStation, Xbox, or Steam stores and head to the store page. Each page will have a “Try Now” button to download the Free Trial. Note that a PlayStation Plus account or Xbox Live Gold account is required to download and play the Battleborn Free Trial.

So what content do I have access to?

The Free Trial includes access to all four competitive multiplayer modes, a rotating roster of free playable heroes, and the same character and account growth/progression you would find in the full game.

Are there any limits to how much I can play?

With the Free Trial, you can play Competitive Multiplayer matches without any time limits or artificial level caps. Everyone who downloads the Free Trial will have access to all four competitive modes: Incursion, Meltdown, Capture, and Face-Off. To create or join a private PvP match, a Battle Pass is required for all participants.

What is a Battle Pass?

All Battleborn Free Trial Competitive Multiplayer matches are public matches where players can be teamed up via the matchmaking algorithm. The Battle Pass allows for Free Trial players to create individual private sessions within Battleborn’s Competitive Multiplayer modes. The Battle Pass is available for sale in the in-game Marketplace and allows the creation of and participation in private matches to hone your skills or battle it out with you and your friends. All participants are required to have a Battle Pass to join a private PvP match of any kind.

Which characters do I get to play with during the Free Trial?

You’ll have access to rotating selection of Battleborn’s 30 unique heroes that changes weekly. If you want to keep a hero after the roster changes, you can unlock your favorite hero from the in-game Marketplace using Credits (earned while playing matches) or with Platinum premium currency.

OK, so how do I unlock/purchase more content?

If you’re interested in unlocking more heroes, further customizing your favorite hero, or even playing the Story Mode missions, there’s a whole Marketplace to choose from. Upgrading Battleborn means getting access to the full base game, including unlocking all 25 base characters, all eight Story Mode missions and the Prologue, and permanent access to private matches.

How do I upgrade to the full game?

To upgrade digitally, the full game can be found in the PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam digital storefronts. If you want to hoof it to get a physical disc, there’s a chance you can snag one at your favorite brick-and-mortar retailer.

Remember: On console, if playing the game with a physical disc, the disc is required to be in the console tray to play the full game. Ejecting the disc from the console tray will revert the game to the Free Trial version with unlimited Competitive Multiplayer gameplay and any a la carte content you purchased. You WILL keep any a la carte purchases you may have made, such as characters, taunts, or Story Operations. Pop the disc back in and you’re back to the full version.

What happens to my Free Trial progress when I upgrade?

When you upgrade Battleborn from the Free Trial to the full base game, all of your player progression stats – Command Rank and Character Rank – will carry over. Character challenges and masteries will also carry over, and you will be granted access to earn the character masteries that are only available through Story Mode missions.

PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam achievements/trophies will also be granted upon upgrading to the full game. In order to complete the transfer of challenges, masteries, achievements, and trophies, complete the task one more time by hopping into a match or mission to complete the action (ex. get a kill, play as a Peacekeeper) and earn the corresponding reward.

What’s included in the Season Pass Bundle?

Season Pass content is available within the Battleborn in-game Marketplace for anyone to purchase, whether you have the full game or the Free Trial. This includes all five replayable Story Operations and heroes 26 through 30 (Alani, Pendles, Ernest, Kid Ultra, and Beatrix). Each Story Operation also includes a variety of skins, taunts, and titles that you can unlock by playing the Operation.

What if I already own characters or a Story Operation when I upgrade?

Great question! If you upgrade to the full game (or purchase the Season Pass bundle), and you already own some of the content in the bundle, you will be credited the value of that content in Credits, the currency earned in-game.

For example: If you already own three Battleborn heroes (let’s say Thorn, Boldur, and Alani), and want to upgrade to the full base game, you will be granted earned Credits for the heroes that are part of the base game (Thorn and Boldur). Alani is a DLC hero (heroes 26 through 30) and was part of the Season Pass, not the base game. As such, her Credits value would not be included when upgrading to the base game.

What can I buy in the Marketplace?

The in-game Marketplace has all sorts of in-game content for you to purchase. There are boosters that will increase your XP gain for a day, all the way up to the full package of Season Pass content complete with five Story Operations and heroes 26 through 30. The choice is yours.

In the Marketplace, you’ll find a number of items that can be purchased with Credits earned in-game or Platinum premium currency.

Battleborn Heroes

Cosmetics skins and taunts

Gear packs

XP and Loot Boosters

Additional Loadouts and Bank pages

Story Operations, individually or as part of the Season Pass bundle

And more!

What can I expect as a new player or if I haven’t played Battleborn in a while?

There have been TONS of updates, additions, and changes to Battleborn since launch – Over 1,600 changes, in fact! Check out this blog to get the full details on all of these changes. Keep reading to see what the big changes are for new players.

Novice Queue – With the launch of the Free Trial, we’re also introducing a queue specifically for new players. This queue was created so new and lower-rank players could learn the ropes without having to go up against more experienced Battleborn veterans. Even if you’re a quick learner or an experienced MOBA player, Battleborn has some unique mechanics that create a bit of a learning curve.

Don’t worry, you won’t be stuck in the Novice Queue forever. Once you reach Command Rank 20, the Novice Queue will disappear and you will be able to join other Battleborn players in the regular queues.

Matchmaking is an ever-evolving process that we’re continually working on. As more players join Battleborn, we will keep refining this process to make it the best experience possible.

Free Hero Rotation – Each week, six of Battleborn’s 30 unique heroes will be available for everyone to play. This weekly rotation will give you the opportunity to play all of Battleborn’s heroes and find your favorites. If you love a hero and don’t want to wait for them to be back in the rotation, you can permanently unlock that character from the in-game Marketplace.

Training Modes – Prior to the Free Trial, we introduced brand new training modes to help players of all skill levels master Battleborn.

Incursion Tutorial: Build up your Competitive Multiplayer skills and learn the key elements of PVP combat in Battleborn with the Incursion Mode Tutorial.

The Dojo: Take each and every Battleborn hero for a test drive! Learn how to slice, dice, blast, smash, and rocket your way through waves of minions. The Dojo allows you to try out each Battleborn hero without having to unlock them in the Marketplace or wait for them to be on the free rotation.

What if I already own Battleborn? What’s in it for me?

Everyone who purchased and played the retail version of Battleborn prior to the release of the Free Trial on June 6th, 2017, has been credited a Founder’s Bonus. When you log into Battleborn, the Founder’s Bonus will already be granted to your account. Head to your Command center to open the new loot packs, equip your title, and spend that sweet Platinum.

To confirm you received the Founder’s Bonus, head to the Command center. On the top left-hand of your screen, you should see an additional 1,000 Platinum and 50,000 Credits by your account name.

Under the Gear tab, you will see several new loot packs, including one named “Founder Loot Pack.” If you cannot access the Gear tab, just jump in a match or two, rank up, and then the Gear tab should be unlocked. The Gear tab is locked for any player below Command Rank 3.

The Founder title can be found and equipped from the Career tab. Mellka and Deande’s gold skins can be viewed in their respective character pages, and equipped during the character select phase of a match or mission.

If you’re a Founder and having trouble accessing the Founder’s Bonus content, please reach out to us at 2K Support.

Wait, Flair? What’s that?

Flair is a new cosmetic addition to Battleborn! Special pieces of gear will now have visual components that show up on your hero during a match or mission. There are all kinds of flair items, such as ears, silly hats, horns, and many more to further customize your hero and give them even more attitude. There is a chance to obtain a piece of gear with Flair from any loot pack although gear with Flair is a guaranteed drop from the Magnus Pack, a new loot pack introduced with the arrival of the Free Trial.

To see your Flair on your hero, use Shards to activate that piece of Gear during the match. Once you activate that piece of gear, the Flair will show up on your hero. There are three main types of gear: Horns, Ears and Hats. If you have more than one piece of gear with that particular Flair type in a Loadout, Flair from the gear you most recently activated will be displayed. You can have one of each type active at a time.

If I buy the physical (disc) version of Battleborn after the Free Trial launches, can I get the Founder's Bonus?

Sorry, no. In order to earn the Founder's Bonus, you need to have purchased and played the full retail version of Battleborn before June 6th, 2017.